Math Q: Singapore and Miquon?

[blessedbyHim]

I'm using Singapore 1a starting this week with a first grader. We used the earlybird books last year (too easy) and because I didn't know better I added abeka's workbook. :) Now I really want to go full force with Singapore and possibly supplement with Miquon which I just discovered. If I did this what all would I need from each (workbooks, teacher books, etc) and what might my schedule/days look like? I certainly don't want to spend hours on it since I have others to teach as well but I'd love to give a good math foundation. Thanks for any tips!

[missmoe]

When I combined Singapore and Miquon I scheduled Singapore and supplemented with Miquon. So we spent 10-15 minutes working through the Singapore lesson and completing the workbook pages. Then I let my kids pick and choose what they wanted to do from the Miquon books. Sometimes they would work on one page, and sometimes they would want to work through 10. I let my child dicatate the Miquon Math work, so as not to burn them out with too much math.

[lorisuewho]

We do both. I use Singapore as our main program. I try to do the lessons for the most part as outlined in the teacher's guide with lots of manipulatives. Then we do the textbook and workbook pages as assigned in the guide.

Then I usually do some Miquon. I might do a page or two from the book (using the lab annotations book as a guide) or I do some of the activities that are in the first grade diary.

I try not to spend more than 40 minutes on math. Usually it is more like 25-35 minutes. If something gets cut, it is Miquon.

Sometimes after we finish Singapore, I just let my guys play with the cuisenaire rods for a while. They love to build with them.

[....]

We also use Singapore + miquon. In addition, I try to make sure we review math facts and I give them 5 review problems before math every day.

[LMD]

I use singapore and supplement with Miquon. I don't really schedule Miquon, but I try to have a lesson & worksheet that compliments our singapore lesson ready. For example DD got on a math roll last week and wizzed through the entire multiplication section while I was cooking dinner. That's about 2 weeks worth of work. So instead of scooting ahead I want to play around with multiplication for a bit longer to make sure she's got it properly, so this week - and possibly next week - we'll focus on that with Miquon + C rods, and also get ready for division with some Miquon play.

 

I would like to schedule 3 X singapore lessons and 1 X Miquon lesson a week - but it doesn't always work that way!

 

With Miquon you'll need the Annotated notes (the workbooks are weird without it!), the first grade diary gives lots of good ideas too.

[blessedbyHim]

Thanks all! So if I do add in some miquon do I need the whole thing - teacher book, lab, diary, or can I just use the orange book for example?

 

I think I must be slow in my teaching...I struggle to get hands on, text, and workbook all done in 30 min. Not sure why.

[blessedbyHim]

Thanks LMD! I was posting just after you answered what I was asking. :-)

[....]

Thanks all! So if I do add in some miquon do I need the whole thing - teacher book, lab, diary, or can I just use the orange book for example?

 

I think I must be slow in my teaching...I struggle to get hands on, text, and workbook all done in 30 min. Not sure why.

 

For Miquon, you need at LEAST the workbook (orange level, for example) and the Annotated Lab Sheets (explains what you're supposed to do with the worksheets). The First Grade Diary is also helpful.

 

As far as taking 30 minutes for math...we're close to an hour. :sad: Sad, but true. Like I said, the kids start off with 5 review problems, work thru Sinagpore and Miquon and we end up doing math facts review...or sometimes I have a math book from the library that we'll browse thru (this week is Times Tables Made Easy - Lol). Math/science really eats up a lot of our time.

 

Edited to say: with all this, my kids are pretty strong in math...

[blessedbyHim]

Wowsers! Yep, that's what I was thinking if it already takes me half an hour just trying to do Singapore. I guess it's worth it though. Just don't have 1 hour x 3 kids at all different levels to spend every day! :)

[Spy Car]

Wowsers! Yep, that's what I was thinking if it already takes me half an hour just trying to do Singapore. I guess it's worth it though. Just don't have 1 hour x 3 kids at all different levels to spend every day! :)

 

The thing about Miquon is it can make things remarkably clear to a child very quickly. So a little time spent with Miquon before taking on a new topic can be very efficient in helping them see the "big picture" in an easy to understand fashion, and then Singapore can build a structure on top of what they get though the more concrete means in Miquon.

 

Miquon (for teachers) can also add explicit ways to learn and teach how the laws of mathematics can be taught explicity (where Singapore is more "implicit"). The two make a strong combo.

 

It would be untrue to say a teacher-parent does not need to spend tile with personal learning to get the most out of Miquon (it is a necessity) but, with objectives in mind, it is possible to set up work a child can do him or herself while you work with another child.

 

The Miquon-Singapore combo is time efficient and each compliments the strengths of the other.

 

Bill

[lamolina]

I am planning to start homeschooling my 3 kids in March of next year. They will have just finished half a public school year of K, 2, and 5. (the oldest was also in private school from K-3, but not sure that was a academic benefit to him, as his public school actually seems more rigorous)

I am interested in Singapore, Right Start, Math Mammoth, and Miquon, but am not sure which combination of these to use and for which kid! Also considered

The oldest seems to pick math up pretty easily (his last standardized score was 89 percentile) and I hesitate to completely change the way he has been learning it.

The middle is starting to understand multiplication, though not from school, just on her own. I do notice that she counts things on her fingers a lot.

The youngest is my more logical type thinker, he can build lego sets on his own, likes mazes, likes to draw maps, etc. He can add very small numbers and likes to play math games on my phone even though he doesn't understand how to "do" math. He did just turn 5 last week.

Any suggestions or thoughts on which direction to go in picking math curriculums!? I would love for them to really understand math and not just be able to get the right answer.

thanks so much for your input, I am learning a ton on this forum!

thanks,

Nicole

[Spy Car]

I am planning to start homeschooling my 3 kids in March of next year. They will have just finished half a public school year of K, 2, and 5. (the oldest was also in private school from K-3, but not sure that was a academic benefit to him, as his public school actually seems more rigorous)

I am interested in Singapore, Right Start, Math Mammoth, and Miquon, but am not sure which combination of these to use and for which kid! Also considered

The oldest seems to pick math up pretty easily (his last standardized score was 89 percentile) and I hesitate to completely change the way he has been learning it.

The middle is starting to understand multiplication, though not from school, just on her own. I do notice that she counts things on her fingers a lot.

The youngest is my more logical type thinker, he can build lego sets on his own, likes mazes, likes to draw maps, etc. He can add very small numbers and likes to play math games on my phone even though he doesn't understand how to "do" math. He did just turn 5 last week.

Any suggestions or thoughts on which direction to go in picking math curriculums!? I would love for them to really understand math and not just be able to get the right answer.

thanks so much for your input, I am learning a ton on this forum!

thanks,

Nicole

 

These are all good programs. All have the same fundamental whole-parts approach. To add one more there is MEP (Mathematics Enhancement Programme) which can be downloaded with out cost. MEP is a Hungarian Math program adapted for use in improving Maths Education in the UK.

 

As to which program(s) to use you will have to try to get a feel for what you think might work best for you and your children and make educated guesses. They each have very different "styles" despite their similarities.

 

You will find parents who are passionate about liking each of them.

 

Miquon is the most free-form and "unstructured" with lots of discovery method and hands-on student led learning combined with a great math education for parents. It is especial good as a concrete introduction to math, so the "discovery" process gets to truly be "discovery" rather than manipulative based review.

 

Singapore is probably next on the continuum in terms of "looseness." There are HIGs (Home Instructors Guides) to help teach but much of the discussion and teaching/learning is extrapolated from the materials in the Textbooks (which have minimal Text reinforced with pictorial information. It is a great presentation if you are the kind of cook who looks at a recipe and then runs with theirown interpretation, but less good for one who like to follow a recipe exactly.

 

Singapore has a lot of component parts that can be combined to make a full "customized" program. This makes some people nuts and others (like myself) love it.

 

Next would probably be Math Mammoth. I have not used it personally, but it seems to give rather more explicit (written to the student) instruction than Singapore. The MM materials might need to be supplemented with elements from Singapore (or other) that add more critical thinking type work and perhaps more words problems.

 

Then RS is the most scripted and is based around the abacus as the primary manipulative. An innovation in RS is that children learn to group around 5s (instead of just 10s as in Singapore and the other). RS also starts place value work early (a smart thing) but many parents seem to switch to other programs after Level B.

 

Love the Singapore Math program personally. But try to get a feel for your own style. There are many (many) math threads to read and a lot of opinions to consider.

 

The good news is there is an embarrassment of riches with all these great math resources to choose from. They do have different styles. I think it is important to to choose one you think will serve your family best, but they are all really top-notch!

 

Best wishes.

 

Bill

[....]

Wowsers! Yep, that's what I was thinking if it already takes me half an hour just trying to do Singapore. I guess it's worth it though. Just don't have 1 hour x 3 kids at all different levels to spend every day! :)

 

I know. I do a lot of juggling. As they get closer to middle school, they can start doing a lot of stuff on their own. That really helps.

 

One year, we did Singapore + CLE and that took up a lot of time. We stopped after a year and switched CLE for Miquon and I added the review problems in the beginning. The only problem I have with Singapore is it doesn't review and my kids don't seem to retain math facts with it (on its own).

 

I've just discovered the math section at the library, too. So, we're starting to read those math project books, etc. Kinda cool. :D

[blessedbyHim]

So, Spy Car, (don't know how to quote) would you use miquon first then do the singapore lesson? I'm sure it will make more sense after I have the miquon to look at. Or could I maybe split the work up in the day and work with him on the miquon and then leave him to "discover" awhile and later in the day come back to work on the Singapore lesson? Starrbuck12 mentioned about an hour a day working on both and dividing it up would work well with our day.

 

Ok, so looks like I need the workbook, annotated labs, and maybe the diary. Would orange be the one to go along with Singapore 1a? Thanks for all the replies, this has been a great help. I'm excited and ready to do a little homework of my own once I have the miquon books!

[....]

So, Spy Car, (don't know how to quote) would you use miquon first then do the singapore lesson? I'm sure it will make more sense after I have the miquon to look at. Or could I maybe split the work up in the day and work with him on the miquon and then leave him to "discover" awhile and later in the day come back to work on the Singapore lesson? Starrbuck12 mentioned about an hour a day working on both and dividing it up would work well with our day.

 

Ok, so looks like I need the workbook, annotated labs, and maybe the diary. Would orange be the one to go along with Singapore 1a? Thanks for all the replies, this has been a great help. I'm excited and ready to do a little homework of my own once I have the miquon books!

 

It probably won't take you as long as it takes us to do math. I have 4 kids and the 4th grader's math gets complicated. :willy_nilly:

 

You're starting Singapore 1a, so you can add Miquon Orange Level. I just have them pick any worksheet they want from the Miquon workbook. Some worksheets take only 5 minutes. Some take a little longer. We look at it as a Math Lab. Also, if we're running short on time, we skip Miquon and work on Singapore.

 

It will make a lot more sense once you see Miquon. Honestly, if I would've known about Miquon sooner, we might've just used that program instead of Singapore. :tongue_smilie: My kids really like it. But, what was in Miquon was always a mystery. :D

[Spy Car]

So, Spy Car, (don't know how to quote) would you use miquon first then do the singapore lesson? I'm sure it will make more sense after I have the miquon to look at. Or could I maybe split the work up in the day and work with him on the miquon and then leave him to "discover" awhile and later in the day come back to work on the Singapore lesson? Starrbuck12 mentioned about an hour a day working on both and dividing it up would work well with our day.

 

Ok, so looks like I need the workbook, annotated labs, and maybe the diary. Would orange be the one to go along with Singapore 1a? Thanks for all the replies, this has been a great help. I'm excited and ready to do a little homework of my own once I have the miquon books!

 

Definitely the Diary, and I would read Notes to Teachers as well (although it is the least of the 3 books).

 

Personally I would not (did not) attempt to line up the skill building in Miquon and Singapore. I know there are charts out there coordinating the two, I would ignore them.

 

Miquon includes a "discovery" method. This is directed "discovery" but learning this way is valuable to young children as it entourages autonomy and competence. It is best, IMO, to allow them to play with an idea and really get a feel for it prior to using a more formalized approach (Singapore included).

 

How long they work on something before you feel they are ready to move on is something I think you leave to your inner-intelligence.

 

The light-bulb moments can come very quickly with Miquon. There were some topics I tried to introduce with Singapore (such as "how much more?") that were frustrating for both of us (do I think to semantic issues) until I backed off and taught the same idea through Miquon-like techniques.

 

If you go this route feel really free to improvise and cross pollinate ideas across programs. You can add Singapore elements (like number bonds) to Miquon and Miquon-like elements to Singapore. The two programs play very nicely together.

 

And, as great as the Discovery Method can be, when you feel the need for Direct Instruction go that route. If you understand where your children are you can always make "pragmatic" choices and adjust thing to their needs. Don't follow anyone else's schedule.

 

Especially at the beginning I found it valuable to let my son do a good deal of Miquon and Miquon-like work/play. I say Miquon-like because I made up a great number of activities inspired by Miquon, stole other ideas from other programs, made Lab-Sheets that were variations on a theme, and tried to keep a Math-Lab spirit going. When you read the Diary you will see this is what the author had in mind.

 

While many of us use Miquon with Pre-K or K aged children (and it was written in the day when math education started in First Grade) it remains a bridge between beginning a deep math education using age appropriate tools and means and doing "formal" math (of the type that is sometimes criticized as a rush into workbooks). It is a part of a Third Way, when you can initiate playful (and efficacious) learning and keep it really "developmental."

 

After a child plays with making combinations of different parts to make a whole and other similar activities and they feel at home with how the Math Model works (without knowing it is a Math Model :tongue_smilie:) then they can start Singapore 1A. But there is no rush.

 

Bill

Edited July 19, 2011 by Spy Car

[blessedbyHim]

Yay!! Got our cusenaire rods today! So we'll just "play" with them this week and then I can't wait to incorporate them more once I get our Miquon books. Just wish I had found it a tad bit sooner since we started back to school this week.

 

I am thinking my 8 year old will even enjoy watching and playing a little too. She loves math time, but I'm now thinking I've pushed her along in the books too fast without realizing it and not letting things soak in with practice. Maybe this will be refreshing for her especially since the two enjoy doing things together.